Dataset Information

The distribution of climbing chalk on climbed boulders and its impact on rock-dwelling fern and moss species.

ABSTRACT: Rock climbing is popular, and the number of climbers rises worldwide. Numerous studies on the impact of climbing on rock-dwelling plants have reported negative effects, which were mainly attributed to mechanical disturbances such as trampling and removal of soil and vegetation. However, climbers also use climbing chalk (magnesium carbonate hydroxide) whose potential chemical effects on rock-dwelling species have not been assessed so far. Climbing chalk is expected to alter the pH and nutrient conditions on rocks, which may affect rock-dwelling organisms. We elucidated two fundamental aspects of climbing chalk. (a) Its distribution along nonoverhanging climbing routes was measured on regularly spaced raster points on gneiss boulders used for bouldering (ropeless climbing at low height). These measurements revealed elevated climbing chalk levels even on 65% of sampling points without any visual traces of climbing chalk. (b) The impact of climbing chalk on rock-dwelling plants was assessed with four fern and four moss species in an experimental setup in a climate chamber. The experiment showed significant negative, though varied effects of elevated climbing chalk concentrations on the germination and survival of both ferns and mosses. The study thus suggests that along climbing routes, elevated climbing chalk concentration can occur even were no chalk traces are visible and that climbing chalk can have negative impacts on rock-dwelling organisms.

SUBMITTER: Hepenstrick D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7593172 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The distribution of climbing chalk on climbed boulders and its impact on rock-dwelling fern and moss species.

Hepenstrick Daniel D Bergamini Ariel A Holderegger Rolf R

Ecology and evolution 20201001 20

Rock climbing is popular, and the number of climbers rises worldwide. Numerous studies on the impact of climbing on rock-dwelling plants have reported negative effects, which were mainly attributed to mechanical disturbances such as trampling and removal of soil and vegetation. However, climbers also use climbing chalk (magnesium carbonate hydroxide) whose potential chemical effects on rock-dwelling species have not been assessed so far. Climbing chalk is expected to alter the pH and nutrient co ...[more]

PMID: 33144970

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Project description:Rock climbing is among the outdoor activities that have undergone the highest growth since the second half of the 20th century. As a result, cliff habitats, historically one of the least disturbed by human colonization worldwide, are facing more intense human pressure than ever before. However, there is little data on the impact of this activity in plant-communities, and such information is indispensable for adequate manager decision-making. The goal of this study was to determine the impact of rock climbing on plant communities in terms of cover, richness, and composition in relation to climbing intensity on typical Mediterranean limestone cliffs. Three rock-climbing sites were selected in the Baetic range (SE Spain), corresponding to qualitative categories of climbing frequentation: i)"low" (low frequentation with intermittent climbing), ii)"medium" (high frequentation without overcrowding), and iii) "high" (high frequentation with overcrowding). Within each site, we selected climbing routes and adjacent areas free of climbing, then we carried out a photoplot-based sampling by rappelling. We analysed the images to calculate: richness, species cover, and total cover. This study shows that rock climbing negatively affected the cliff plant community at all three study sites. A significant decrease in plant cover, species richness and a shift in the community composition were recorded for climbed areas, the cover being the variable most sensitive to rock climbing. Impact observed proved to be related to the frequentation level. Low-frequentation sites, with usually more specialized climbers, underwent relatively mild damages, whereas at high frequentation sites the impact was severe and the conservation of the species, especially rare ones, became jeopardized. Our study is the first one available to investigate climbing impact on plant communities in Mediterranean areas, but more research on the impact of rock climbing is needed to assess the regulation of this activity. Regarding management guidelines, we propose a management guideline protocol to evaluate climbing routes and design: i) "Sites free of climbing", ii) "Strictly regulated climbing routes", iii) "Mildly regulated climbing routes", or iv) "Free climbing routes".

Project description:Background and aimsSuccessful establishment of newly formed polyploid species depends on several interlinked genetic and ecological factors. These include genetic diversity within and among individuals, chromosome behaviour and fertility, novel phenotypes resulting from novel genomic make-up and expression, intercytotypic and interspecific competition, and adaptation to distinct habitats. The allotetraploid rock fern Asplenium majoricum is known from one small population in Valencia, Spain, and several larger populations on the Balearic island of Majorca. In Valencia, it occurs sympatrically with its diploid parents, A. fontanum subsp. fontanum and A. petrarchae subsp. bivalens, and their diploid hybrid A. × protomajoricum. This highly unusual situation allowed the study of polyploid genetic diversity and its relationship to the formation and establishment of nascent polyploid lineages.MethodsGenetic variation for isozyme and chloroplast DNA markers was determined for A. majoricum and A. × protomajoricum sampled thoroughly from known sites in Majorca and Valencia. Results were compared with variation determined previously for the diploid parent taxa.Key resultsA highly dynamic system with recurring diploid hybrid and allotetraploid formation was discovered. High diversity in the small Valencian A. majoricum population indicates multiple de novo origins from diverse parental genotypes, but most of these lineages become extinct without becoming established. The populations on Majorca most probably represent colonization(s) from Valencia rather than an in situ origin. Low genetic diversity suggests that this colonization may have occurred only once.ConclusionsThere is a striking contrast in success of establishment of the Majorcan and Valencian populations of A. majoricum. Chance founding of populations in a habitat where neither A. fontanum subsp. fontanum nor A. petrarchae subsp. bivalens occurs appears to have been a key factor enabling the establishment of A. majoricum on Majorca. Successful establishment of this polyploid is probably dependent on geographic isolation from diploid progenitor competition.

Dataset Information

The distribution of climbing chalk on climbed boulders and its impact on rock-dwelling fern and moss species.

Publications

The distribution of climbing chalk on climbed boulders and its impact on rock-dwelling fern and moss species.

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